Carriers, police and the FCC to blacklist stolen phones with database in 18 mos

**Kies** · 04-09-2012, 11:47 PM

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/st...eft/54137596/1

A new nationwide database aimed at preventing the use of stolen smartphones will be announced today by the cellular industry. That will be strengthened by a bill proposed by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., making it illegal to circumvent the database.

Sent from my T-Mobile Galaxy S II 4G

**DreamCatcher68** · 04-10-2012, 12:18 AM

This is great. I know that for a long time, carriers like T-Mobile have not been blacklisting IMEIs. High time that they start doing that, along with the other carriers, like AT&T, Verizon, etc. If the "smaller" carriers got onto it too, then it would really take away incentive for the thieves.

**TheU** · 04-10-2012, 12:29 AM

or what it will do it allow those thieves to buy broken phones with clean esn's and illegally swapping or changing or whatever they could do?!

I do like that they will make them password protected and hopefully they can wipe the device remotely.

**gregsmith59** · 04-10-2012, 12:32 AM

Originally Posted by TheU

or what it will do it allow those thieves to buy broken phones with clean esn's and illegally swapping or changing or whatever they could do?!

Yes, they could do that. But if their fencing operations were significant they would need to be worried about being prosecuted by the Feds.

**TheU** · 04-10-2012, 12:37 AM

What about phones that are sold used on ebay, will someone be able to sell their phone and then report it stolen a few weeks after the sale or just to screw a buyer who left negative feedback? Im guessing or hoping that only phones currently active can be reported stolen not phones that were removed or swapped for a new phone. If you lose or misplace a phone after you removed it then maybe they shouldn't allow those to be placed on a lost / stolen list.

**n2jtx** · 04-10-2012, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by TheU

What about phones that are sold used on ebay, will someone be able to sell their phone and then report it stolen a few weeks after the sale or just to screw a buyer who left negative feedback? Im guessing or hoping that only phones currently active can be reported stolen not phones that were removed or swapped for a new phone. If you lose or misplace a phone after you removed it then maybe they shouldn't allow those to be placed on a lost / stolen list.

The government could treat such a report the same as filing a false police report if they wanted to, complete with criminal charges to the one filing the report.

**Loansharkie** · 04-10-2012, 11:21 AM

I'm all for preventing theft and you make a good point. Will be interesting to see what the law actually says. Maybe some sort of owner registration database where you transfer ownership like the title to a car? Good rule of law can get corrupted by our political process IMHO. Hopefully it will be clean and facilitate legitimate transactions.

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**adam917** · 04-10-2012, 04:26 PM

Well, how is it done in Europe? Hasn't the EIR been around for a while over there?

**Guest 214** · 04-10-2012, 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by DreamCatcher68

This is great. I know that for a long time, carriers like T-Mobile have not been blacklisting IMEIs. High time that they start doing that, along with the other carriers, like AT&T, Verizon, etc. If the "smaller" carriers got onto it too, then it would really take away incentive for the thieves.

Verizon and Sprint and pretty much every CDMA based carrier here has been blacklisting ESN's forever.